


How to save the Magical Congress of the United States

by magicalcrapulent



Series: Goldgraves AU [1]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Attempted Murder, Babies!, F/M, Fluff, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, a little bit of nudity, marriage AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-27
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-10-24 17:28:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10746426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicalcrapulent/pseuds/magicalcrapulent
Summary: Gellert Grindelwald's plan was perfect. But there was one thing he hasn't taken into account, and that was Percival Graves' private live...OR: Percival Graves and Tina Goldstein have been secretly married for years and it fucks up Grindelwald's plan.Goldgraves Married AU





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm totally hooked onto Goldgraves since that deleted scene came out. Sadly there is a lack of fanwork for this little ship, and so I wrote something myself. This will be a two-shot, and the second chapter is almost done, too.  
> I hope you enjoy :)

With broad steps Grindelwald walked towards the mansion. The house and the gardens were proof of the long and honorable history of the Graves family. Grindelwald had to chuckle when he thought about what would be said about the Graves family when they found out that he impersonated their last member without much problems.

It was kind of sad that such a highly decorated and respected family would find such an end, but Percival Graves was a thorn in his side. He has always been, ever since he started putting things into motion around America. Normally the Americans would mind their own business, but as soon as someone would start pissing them off they were off like a blood hound, and Graves was the most dangerous of them all.

But in the end that man has had nothing against him and the Elder Wand. He had to keep Graves for now for his supply of polyjuicy, but as soon as he was done with his business… Well, like he said, it was kind of sad that his family had to end in such a way.

The Elder Wand broke through the wards around the house effortlessly (apparating directly inside was out of the question, sadly), and with sure steps Grindelwald entered through the opulent front gate, through the gardens and into the house, shoving the wand back into a pocket in his coat and keeping Graves’ at the ready.

The house was kind of decadent, really, all stucco, granite and elaborate brass, and he has only seen the lobby! He probably should get used to the layout, though. It wouldn’t do if the President or an Auror would show up because of an emergency and ‘Graves’ wouldn’t know his way around his own house.

Grindelwald had to grin at the thought of his plan finally moving along. He has had to wait long enough. Soon the Obscurus would be under his control, he just had to find it. He could feel his heart start beating wildly in excitement at the thought. His plan was just perfect! Everything was going smoothly, and soon-

“Percival?” someone yelled from inside the house. Grindelwald had to control himself to not flinch at the sound. What the- “Percival, what are you doing just standing there?”

A woman stepped out of what looked like some kind of salon or living room. She was tall, short brown hair and- It was Tina Goldstein, Grindelwald remembered. He has painstakingly remembered every single one of Graves’ subordinates, and he has noticed that he had a sweet spot for Goldstein, probably because he has been her mentor, but that didn’t mean he refrained from demoting her two weeks ago.

“What are you doing here?” Grindelwald asked her, putting a frown in place.

Tina frowned, too. “What do you mean? You know I come home early since I work in Wand Permit.” She pointed her finger at him threateningly. “I still haven’t forgiven you for that by the way. I mean, I’m pregnant, not crippled or worse, _incompetent_. I’m perfectly fine even doing a desk job in the Investigation department. _Wand Permit_ , pff!” She rolled her eyes and turned around, returning to the living room.

Utterly confused Grindelwald followed her. Home? _Pregnant_?! “What?” he only managed to ask.

“Don’t you act all innocent now, Mister,” she scolded him over her shoulder and continued to a dining room. Plates and food were already laid out, still hot and streaming. “Your little innocent act won’t give you any points. I’m still angry, and you still won’t get any sweet time tonight or any other night this week. Now sit down and eat before it gets cold. You could have at least sent a Patronus to tell me that you are coming late.”

Grindelwald eyed the table wearily. Was this some kind of trick? Were MACUSA already onto him? Had they been spying on him and he hadn’t noticed? If that was the case he had to hand it to the Americans, they were more intelligent that he thought. But what was going on with Goldstein? Was this a plan to confuse him and make him let down his guard? Had Graves _let_ him defeat and capture him so they could confuse him and make him lower his guard? _What the fuck was going on_?!

When Goldstein noticed his skeptical look she rolled her eyes. “Don’t look like that. You have eaten my food for a long time now, and you know that my food isn’t half bad. I’m not such a good cook like Queenie, but I like to think that some of her talent rubbed off.”

Who the fuck was Queenie? And for how long has Tina Goldstein been cooking for Percival Graves?!

He obviously stayed in the door too long without saying anything, he obviously looked too confused and stunned, he obviously acted too surprised, and suddenly Goldstein looked worried and suspicious.

“Is everything alright, Percival?” she asked and took a step closer, but then stopped, looking him up and down. “You act a little strange. Has something happened?”

Shit! Grindelwald had to say something to soothe her worries or her suspicions would only grow. He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “No, nothing happened; it has just been a long day,” he said “This strange incidents are keeping us on our toes,” he added for good measure.

What he said didn’t soothe Goldstein’s suspicions in the slightest. She still looked him up and down, as if she knew that something was strange about him but couldn’t really place it.

Grindelwald contemplated if someone would notice Goldstein missing. Maybe people would think that she was fed up with life in the Wand Permit Office and flunked out. Or she was so caught up in despair over losing her job as an Auror that she ran away or even killed herself. Really, even when he was still in the planning phase of his plan he had been worried about either Goldstein or Picquery finding out he wasn’t the real Percival Graves, but he never thought it would happen _this_ early. _His plan had been perfect, God damnit_!

Some of what he was thinking must have shown on his face. Goldstein tensed and reached for her wand. With a snarl Grindelwald raised his own wand (no, not his own, but _Graves’_ wand) and started firing spells. Her reflexes were still honed from her time in the Auror Office, and she deflected all of his attacks, but a vase and a chair were hit by the ricocheting magic.

Goldstein looked more and more panicked the longer they dueled, her reaction time lagging behind as he sped up. He just wanted to give her the killing blow when she physically dived to the side and, still in midair, disapparated.

Grindelwald stared at the place where the woman disappeared. Only family members were included in the wards of the house, that he knew, which was also the reason why he had to enter through the front gate. But _she_ was able to disapparate just now, and that would mean…

“Fuck,” Grindelwald cursed.

* * *

 Tina stumbled a little when she had hard ground under her feet again. She leaned against the wall at the side of the alley she landed in to catch her breath.

What the hell just happened? First Percival acted so strangely, than he _spoke_ so strangely, then he looked like he wanted to kill her, and then he actually _tried to kill her_! What was going on?!

Pushing herself off the wall she walked out of the alley and turned right towards her sister’s apartment building, rubbing her arms against the cold. Mrs. Esposito was about to yell at her when she came up the stairs, but when she recognized her as Queenie’s sister she just greeted her gruffly and disappeared inside her apartment again.

Tina knocked at her sister’s door, her keys still inside the mansion. Queenie looked surprised when she saw her. “Teenie? What are you doing here?” She looked up and down the corridor. “Where have you left Percy?”

“He just tried to kill me, Queenie,” Tina said, and her sister’s eyes grew wide. She hurriedly pulled her inside, and Tina gratefully walked over to the fireplace to warm herself up.

“What do you mean he tried to kill you?” Queenie asked while she wrapped a blanked over Tina’s shoulders. She hasn’t noticed that she started shaking.

“Exactly that,” Tina answered, pulling the blanket tighter. “He was acting strange when he came home, he didn’t even apparate inside, he _walked_ through the _front gate_. He has never done that! And then he looked confused when he saw me and asked me what I was doing there. I thought he meant what I was doing home so early, but now I think he actually meant what I was doing in the _house_!”

Queenie frowned. “Maybe something happened at work? A memory spell perhaps?”

Tina shook her head. “No, he remembered the incidents around New York, and he even tried to placate me by saying that everything was fine, that he just had a long day, but he sounded so _strange_ , you know? Everything about him was just _strange_. And when he noticed that I wasn’t placated he tried to kill me.” She shuddered and sighed, looking into the fire. “I know it sounds strange, but I got the feeling like I was staring at someone who was impersonating him.”

Queenie gasped and grabbed her shoulders. “Tina, you have to tell the President!”

“I don’t even have any proof that someone is impersonating him. It’s just a guess,” Tina cut in.

“It doesn’t matter Tina,” Queenie insisted. “He is your husband, you know him best, and if you say that something was strange about the _Director_ of _Magical Security_ than you have to tell someone! Not to forget that he tried to kill you and your baby, Tina!”

Unconsciously Tina raised a hand to her stomach, the small bump firm underneath her fingers, still invisible underneath her clothes. God, what would have happened to the baby if one of the spell he fired at her had actually hit?

It was this duel that proved to her that this hasn’t been her husband. Those spell have aimed to either injure her severely or kill her outright. Tina just hoped that nothing has happened to the baby during this small fight.

Percival has been so happy when she told him that she was pregnant, and the overprotective sap has transferred her to Wand Permit right after without even talking to her about it. Everybody in MACUSA thought it was a demotion because of a mistake she has done on the job, though, and Tina was furious about it. When she started working as an Auror again people would ask how she managed that when she has been so publically disgraced. If they found out that she was married to the Director of Magical Security they would immediately think that she has slept her way back up.

Queenie shook her shoulder slightly to rip her out of her thoughts. “You need to tell Picquery about this,” she insisted gently with an encouraging smile.

“Alright,” Tina whispered and gripped her sister’s hand. “Are you coming with me?”

Queenie scoffed. “As if I would leave you alone after what just happened. Just let me change and get you a coat.”

* * *

 “This is worrying,” Picquery said standing behind her desk. As soon as Tina has started with her account of the evening’s events and her suspicion the President has stood up and started pacing the office. She turned towards the two sisters. “Are you sure, Tina?”

Tina nodded. “This wasn’t my husband, Seraphina. Something is terribly wrong.”

Picquery nodded and made her way out of her office, the other two following her. “I will get a group of Aurors and move towards the estate. You have sealed it off?”

“Yes, when I left. I don’t know how _he_ got in, but he will have trouble breaking out, that much is certain,” Tina answered, satisfaction coursing at her by the thought. Whoever impersonated her love, he wouldn’t get away. That house was _vicious_ when its residents were in danger.

“You and Miss Goldstein will stay here,” Picquery said. Outraged Tina pulled her back by the arm just when she wanted to enter the Auror Office.

“You will not leave me here,” Tina said, holding the President’s cool gaze. “This is my husband we are talking about, the father of my unborn child. Like hell I’m just staying here. Not to forget that you won’t be able to get into the mansion without me there.”

Picquery tried to stare her down, but Tina was determined to go. After a while Picquery sighed and nodded. Queenie grasped her sister’s arm. “Where Tina is going _I_ am going. She needs someone to look after her. I will not leave her alone.” Picquery just rolled her eyes and waved them over to follow her.

About fifteen Aurors had to stay for the nightshift, and all of them accompanied them to the mansion. If someone was able to take out Percival Graves to impersonate him then they needed all the manpower they could get.

A red and blue shimmering dome spread itself over the house and the gardens. Occasionally bolds of magical light burst from inside but were absorbed by the wards. Someone was trying to break out.

The Auror’s assembled in front of the wrought-iron front gate. Picquery nodded towards Tina to let them in. Swallowing Tina raised her wand and started chanting the spell Percival has taught her when they got married almost four years ago. After she was done she nodded towards the President.

“Alright,” Picquery said. “Remember: We need him alive. He is the only one who knows what happened to Mr. Graves. Contain him under any means necessary.”

The Aurors nodded and, in formation, stepped into the barrier. As soon as they were inside spells started flying. Swallowing Tina followed the President inside.

At first it was chaos, magic and spells flying around wildly, and quickly Tina and Queenie took cover behind a low wall.

The man who pretended to be her husband stood in front of the mansion, all the Aurors standing in front of him, spread out and firing spell after spell. The man reflected every single one of them and even repelled them back at the person who fired them. Step after step he came forward towards the President, eventually passing Queenie and Tina’s coverage.

One after the other Aurors fell to the ground, the man plowing through them without much of a problem. Gritting her teeth Tina stood up and came up behind him, but before she could cast a spell at his unprotected back Queenie stepped beside her, her wand already raised.

“Legilimens,” Queenie said, and the man in front of them stopped in his tracks, the only thing standing in front of him and the exit the President and three Aurors.

Taking the chance her sister has given her Tina quickly acted. With a wave of her wand she bound the man’s arm to his torso, and with another flick she disarmed him, Percival’s wand readily flying into her hand like it was glad to be out of the man’s hand.

Beside her Queenie sagged in relief as she released the spell. She was a natural Legilimency, and using the spell amplified her abilities tenfold. Tina really didn’t want to imagine what she saw just now.

Stepping forward Tina raised her wand and pointed it at the head of the kneeling man in front of her. “Revelio,” she murmured, an orange hue bursting from the tip of her wand.

Slowly the features of her husband melted away, the face becoming broader, the hair lighter, the posture more slouching. With a gasp Tina stopped in front of Gellert Grindelwald.

“You have done a very big mistake, Mr. Grindelwald,” Picquery said as she came up towards the kneeling man. She smirked. “You didn’t do your research as properly as you should have.”

Grindelwald eyed Tina speculatively and smirked humorlessly. “It seems like it.”

Tina gritted her teeth together and stepped up to the most dangerous dark wizard of their time and slapped him in the face. “Where is Percival Graves,” she asked him, her voice sounding eerily calm even to her own ears.

Grindelwald smirked at her, not saying another word. Tina wanted to gouge his eyes out, wanted to make him scream and writher in pain until he told her where her husband was.

But then she saw the Aurors who have been down until now rise again, and she noticed that she couldn’t. All of them thought that the reason why Percival favored her all the time, why she was the only one who made him smile, why she knew how to take down the family wards on his house, was because she was his protégée. None of them knew that they were married, and she wanted it to stay that way. She not only wanted to gain her own reputation without the influence of her husband, but she also relented when Percival told her that, as the Director of Magical Security, he had a big target painted on his back. He didn’t want her to share that target as his wife.

So Tina relented. She stepped back and let the Auror’s handle Grindelwald, leading him outside of the property and back to MACUSA. She gazed after them while the barrier around started to dim out, disappearing now that the threat was gone.

A hand touched her on the shoulder. The President looked her in the eyes, her gaze worried and compassionate. “You should rest,” she told her. “We will find out where he kept Percival.”

Tina shook her head. “No, I can help. I can find things that others overlook. I know him best. I know what is unusual.”

Picquery looked skeptical, but when she saw her determination she relented. “Alright. You take a look in his office. Maybe he has left some clues there.”

Tina nodded. She wanted to apparate immediately, but then she saw that some Aurors have remained behind, probably waiting for the President. Controlling herself she walked out of the front gate before disapparating, Queenie beside her.

They appeared in the side alley beside the Woolworth Building, and they made their way inside. Not many people were still working, only a skeleton crew to keep things going smoothly during the night hours.

Queenie laid a hand on her upper arm. “I will go and make you some tea,” she said and was about to walk away, but Tina stopped her.

“Wait, Queenie. I haven’t asked you how you are yet,” she said. Her sister’s relief when she broke the connection between her mind and Grindelwald’s came up. Tina was worried about what she has seen in there and how it would influence her.

Queenie’s smile was small but true as she cupped Tina’s cheeks. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. True, Grindelwald doesn’t have the prettiest of minds, but I tried to focus more on the mundane things on his life, like what he had for breakfast.” Her smile wavered. “I’m sorry that I didn’t think to look for Percy’s whereabouts.”

Tina shook her head. “It’s alright. We will find him.” She sounded surer than she felt, but it soothed her sister’s guilt.

Queenie went to make some tea while Tina made her way towards Percival’s office. The door was locked, but after trying a couple of spell she managed to get inside. The wards were different than what Percival normally set up, so they had to be put in place by Grindelwald. He had to have been here.

Tina stepped into the office, looking around. At first glance she couldn’t find anything unusual. It was as tidy as ever. She always joked that Percival was a neat freak, and lately that he may very well burst an aneurysm when the baby came and chaos would ensure along with it. Percival has only gazed at her adoringly at the thought. The memory made her chest warm and her heart clench painfully at the same time.

Shaking her head she stepped towards the desk and sat down. She opened the drawers, but all of them looked like they were supposed to. At least she found nothing strange. Papers, a spare quill, some reports and files, a change of clothes, a piece of uneaten chocolate…

Nothing unusual. At the sight of the chocolate her stomach started to growl, reminding her that she didn’t have dinner yet, and since she got pregnant she was positively famished all the time. Picking the chocolate out of the drawer she started eating it while she continued looking around.

On the top of the desk she could see another quill and an inkwell. A small stack of finished reports to the left and another one of ones he still had to read on the right. A couple of book, a lamp, a small casket-

Tina faltered in her perusal. Her eyes were glued to the case. She has never seen it before in her life.

Throwing the chocolate on the desk she stood up. She grabbed the casket and quickly opened it. The inside of it was expended, and Tina could just make out the bottom. It was dark inside, but she thought she could make something out at the bottom.

“Percival,” she yelled. The small form on the bottom seemed to move.

“Tina?” a faint voice drifted up, and Tina only wanted to cry in relief.

She had to take a couple of deep breath to gather herself. “I will get you out, Percival. Hold on,” she yelled and then stepped back from the case. Waving her wand she pointed it at the nondescript item. The case started shaking, and the opening seemed to widen for a moment before it spit out a human body.

Percival was entirely naked when he came out, and he groaned when he hit the ground. Hastily Tina rushed over to him and helped him sit up. He looked beat up, cuts and bruises littering his entire body. A cut on his hairline was even still bleeding sluggishly.

“Tina,” he ground out as he reached for her. His grip was almost bruising in its intensity, and Tina reveled in the feeling. That was the moment when her hormones took over and she started crying. He caressed her hair soothingly and held her a little tighter towards himself. “How did you know-“

“There was something wrong with him,” Tina cut in, the words just bubbling out of her. “There was something _terribly_ _wrong_ with him because he wasn’t _you_.”

Percival pulled away slightly to look her in the eyes. “Did he do something to you? Are you hurt?” He sounded almost frantic.

Tina shook her head. “He tried to when he noticed that he couldn’t fool me, but I got away. The house did the rest.”

He closed his eyes in relief and pulled her back into his arms, burying his face in her hair. “I was worried,” he murmured. “Worried what he would do when he found out that there was someone he couldn’t fool, someone who knew me well enough to realize that he wasn’t me. I thought-“

“Shhh,” Tina hushed him and started rocking them from side to side. They continued to hold each other in silence that was only interrupted by an occasional sniff from Tina’s running nose.

The small bubble they created around each other burst when the door swung open and Queenie stepped in.

“Tina I have- Oh my God!” The teacup fell from Queenie’s hands and shattered on the ground as she tried to cover her eyes and turn around. “I’m so sorry! I’m afraid I saw more than I ever intended to!”

They had to laugh at Queenie’s reaction to Percival’s nudity. Queenie tried to glare at them, but then she noticed that she would have to look at Percival as well and quickly looked away again. “I will wait outside. _Please_ put some clothes on,” she said and shut the door behind her as she left.

Still chuckling Percival reached for the drawer with the change of clothes and quickly got himself rudimentarily dressed. She was a little unsteady on his feet, but that subsided within a couple of moments.

When he was done Tina stepped over to him and ran her hands over his face, especially the cut at his hairline. She didn’t really have a talent for wandless magic like Percival did, but she knew enough, and she let a bit of magic run over the cut to stem the bleeding and soothe the ache a little.

Percival sighed at the feeling and buried his face in her hand. “I was scared,” he whispered and kissed her palm. “For the both of you.” He laid a hand protectively over the small bump underneath her naval.

“We’re fine,” she assured him and covered his hand with hers. She leaned upwards a bit and kissed him on the mouth, the kiss sweet and unhurried and gentle after such a stressful evening.

They stayed entangled for a while until Queenie knocked on the door. “I know the two of you are happy that the other one is alright, but I think it is time for you to see the President and explain what happened,” she said through the wood.

They chuckled again. “Sometimes I hate your sister,” Percival said and gave her one last peck on the lips.

Tina smiled. “Privacy is a concept she just isn’t familiar with. It’s something every potential husband of hers will have to deal with.” Then a thought came to her mind and she had to laugh. Percival just looked at her puzzled.

“What is it?” he asked.

She chuckled. “I think our marriage just saved the magical Congress of the United States.”

Percival laughed.


	2. One Year Later

It has been a while since his house has been so full of people. His parents were the last ones who threw a party at the mansion, and they have been dead for over a decade now.

Percival shook various hands as he made his rounds through the hall, magical lights floating back and forth through the air above to create a flickering, dim atmosphere that gave off the illusion of privacy and intimacy. Waiters with plates full of food and drinks were mingling amongst his guests while a live band was playing a slow jazz tune in the background. Close by he could hear a group of people laughing loudly.

Many of these people Percival hasn’t seen since his parents’ funeral and all of them told him how proud they would have been of the man he has become, of his accomplishments and, most of all, of his wife and upcoming child. Every single one of them said it, but no matter how often he heard it, Percival always had to smile, pride and joy blossoming in his chest at the reminder.

Watching over the crowd Percival searched for his wife. He has run late because of an emergency in the office, and Tina has already started entertaining guests and making her own rounds long before he showed up. He found her eventually near the banquet, unsurprisingly. Ever since she became pregnant she was eating like a horse, a fact that was irritating her for months as she grew larger and larger. Percival didn’t mind one bit.

She looked utterly radiant. She has let her hair grow again, her brown locks now falling over her shoulders in luscious waves. Percival wanted to run his hands through them the entire day. Her dress was red and accentuated not only her growing bust but most of all her protruding stomach. She looked almost ready to pop and people wouldn’t believe it when they heard she had one more month to go. Her eyes were glistening with happiness when she spotted him, her smile beaming.

How has Percival gotten so lucky? Never in his wildest dreams has he ever thought that someone like her would reciprocate his feelings, much less marry him and carry his child. Merlin, he was going to be a _father_. The thought alone made him giddy and frightened at the same time.

Countering her smile with his own Percival made his way over to his wife waiting for him, but then he heard something like a clicking noise, and from one moment to the other the hall erupted in an explosion of light, fire and chaos.

He lay on the ground and stared at the ceiling, the air around him unnaturally silent. Dust floated around him and hindered his sight, but when he turned his head he could see one thing with utter clarity.

Tina stared at him, her beautiful brown eyes wide open and unseeing, blood almost invisible where it soaked into her red dress but there nonetheless. Her face was frozen in a last expression of shock, one of her hands still cradling her stomach while the other reached out to him.

With great effort Percival crawled his way over to her, touching her dirty skin, trying to feel for a pulse, trying to stem the blood from leaving her body, feeling at her stomach and hoping that their child was moving still, any indication that at least one of them was still alive.

But it was of no use. Tina continued to stare at nothingness, his child was as still in her womb as her, and Percival’s hands were stained crimson. He cradles her in his arms, begging her to wake up, to say something, to move, _anything_ , but she remained lifeless, _dead_.

Percival cradled his entire broken world in his arms, and screamed.

* * *

 

Percival woke with a start. He shivered in the cool air of the night, his skin covered in sweat, the blanket down at his hips. Hastily he took a look to his side. Tina was still sleeping peacefully beside him. He heaved a sigh of relief that he hasn’t woken her up. Taking deep breaths Percival sat up and rubbed a hand over his face to wipe away the last remnants of his dream. This wasn’t his first nightmare, and it surely wouldn’t be his last, but that didn’t mean that the images he saw were easier to endure.

Careful not to wake his wife he stood up, draping the covers back over her body. She burrowed deeper into the sheets, and Percival watched her for a moment before he pulled on some pants and an undershirt and slipped out of the room.

The house was quiet while he walked through the corridors, the sound of his feet hitting the cool floor the only sound in the hallway. He looked into every room, checked the gardens out of every window and tested every locked door, his wand always at the ready and adding further protections. Tina called it an obsession but Percival called it good sense. Somebody broke in once, somebody could manage to break in again.  After a while Tina has stopped saying anything about it, realizing that he _needed_ to take those precautions and accepted it.

The last room Percival checked was the nursery. He knew that he wouldn’t come any further in his perusal when he stepped inside, so he always saved it for last.

The nursery was probably the most guarded room in the mansion, but it also held the most precious charge, so it was justified. Stepping closer to the bassinet he took a look inside.

The small body of his son lay on his back, one of his tiny hands clutched tight onto a stuffed bear while he sucked on the thumb of the other. His chest rose and fell with every breath, and occasional one of his little legs would twitch. Percival smiled at the sight and something in his chest eased.

Reaching out he gently ran his callused hand over the small tuft of downy dark hair. Robert was so _tiny_ , so small and vulnerable, no way of defending himself against anyone who meant him harm. He didn’t even have _teeth_ yet. At the thought of someone trying to harm him, at the thought of his nightmare, Percival’s heart clenched painfully. He would burn down the whole world should anyone ever dare to hurt his son.

A hand on his back startled him out of his dark thoughts. Turning he saw Tina beside him, her gaze also fixed on the perfect creature in the bassinet.

“Another nightmare?” she whispered while the hand on his back was slowly running up and down soothingly. Percival just nodded and wrapped an arm around her waist, both of them observing their son in silence.

They must have stood there for a while, for eventually Robert began to stir and starts to fuss. His thumb left his mouth and he started wailing. Tina picked him up and held him close to her chest, rocking him slightly on her way to the rocking chair in the corner.

Percival observed them, saw how Robert buried closer to his mother’s chest, the soft look on Tina’s eyes as she opened the strings on the nightgown she has put on, observed how Robert eagerly latched onto the offered breast and started sucking. Tina started rocking back and forth while their son drank his fill, her eyes never leaving Robert’s face, one hand supporting his head.

Percival loved watching them together. He has never thought that he could have something like that. He has always been so devoted to his work. He has been raised like that, to bring honor to his ancestry and his family name. He has made it into his life’s purpose to do exactly that, working his ass off, gaining a reputation and instilling awe and fear at the sound of his name. Percival Graves wasn’t a _person_ , he was a _living legend_. There hasn’t been room for anything else in his life, and he didn’t want it any other way.

Until he met Tina.

She has been his trainee when she wanted to become an Auror, a task he deemed necessary but more of a slight burden, an inconvenience on his part more than anything else.

Never would he have thought that he would fall in love with her. The three years she shadowed him and he trained her to be the best she could be were the most joyful of his entire life until then. Never has he been so happy to see anyone like he was happy to see _her_ every day. She brought a light and lightness into his life that he hasn’t known he had been missing.

Of course he had been conscious of their differences: their age gap, their position first as mentor and protégée and then as Auror and superior, their different experiences and upbringing. They were like night and day, and that thought has dampened his outlook on any possible future they could have had together.

Until she kissed him.

It has been the night where they celebrated the graduation of the trainees to becoming Aurors. At first he shoved her actions on the alcohol that has begun flowing around some time ago, but he couldn’t taste any of the spiked glogg on her lips, and he knew that her decisions were all Tina. _She_ made the conscious decision to kiss him.

Previously Percival has ever only played with the thought that she would ever reciprocate his feelings. That kiss, that one perfect kiss, was more than he has ever hoped for, and he has latched onto it with every fiber of his being.

They years that followed until now were the most heady, happiest, most infuriating and overwhelming of his entire life. They hid in small storage closets for a little time alone, they shared small inconspicuous touches and lingering gazes through a room full of people, they learned the most intimate things about each other, and all without the knowledge of anybody around them. Never in his life has Percival ever been so close to another person, and the thought alone was intoxicating and frightening at the same time.

It was after a close brush with death on her part during a mission that Percival realized that it wasn’t enough, that what they had wasn’t enough. He needed more. _They_ needed more.

While Tina was still in the hospital he proposed to her. He could still remember her surprised and awed expression, and he doubted he would ever forget it. She has started crying when he explained to her how he didn’t want to live without her anymore, how he wanted to go to sleep beside her every night and see her face first thing in the morning when he woke up, how he wanted a family with her, see their children grow up, and grow old with her.

She had barely been able to choke out a “Yes” between her sobs, and at her answer even his eyes stung with tears, and he kissed her.

The only people who knew they got married were Seraphina and Queenie. Seraphina because she was a good friend and a trusted superior, and Queenie for obvious reasons.

For years they were married now, and it was kind of amusing how the entirety of MACUSA didn’t have a clue about it. It was kind of sad, too, how none of his highly trained Aurors could figure something out that was right underneath their noses.

And then, one day in the beginning of November, Tina told him that she was pregnant. When Percival thought he was happy before then he had been in for a surprise. He has felt like his heart was going to burst, and when Tina first started showing a small bump he even cried a little (not that anyone would ever know).

He thought nothing could dampen this absolute happiness flowing through his veins.

And then Grindelwald happened.

Percival still didn’t know exactly what happened or how. All he knew was that he has been out to meet an old informant about a tip concerning a smuggling ring and he has suddenly been attacked. Percival wasn’t a stranger to fast paced battles, traps or surprise attacks, but something happened – he didn’t know what, he could only remember a bright white light and pain – and when he woke up again he was in that casket, naked and bound, Gellert Grindelwald wearing his clothes standing in front of him with a victorious grin.

Grindelwald must have been pretty sure of himself and the perfection of his plan, for he stood before Percival and started telling him about what he intended to do, how much of a thorn Percival has been in his side and how he now wouldn’t be able to stop him anymore. Then he wiped some blood from one of his wounds and put it into a flask with polyjuicy, Grindelwald’s face changing into his own as he drank it. Then he left.

Never has Percival felt this kind of terror. He knew that the only reason why he was still alive was because Grindelwald still needed him alive for the polyjuicy, but anyone else who knew that he wasn’t actually Percival Graves was as good as dead.

 _Tina_ was as good as dead, she and their unborn child.

The spell that has bound him was strong, but eventually Percival has been able to break it, terror, desperation and insurmountable fear fueling his actions. Then he tried to break free of his prison, but that endeavor was futile. No matter how many spells he fired, no matter how loud and long he screamed, nothing affected the casket or made its way outside. Still he continued until he was utterly exhausted, and then he still tried some more.

During the couple of hours he has been held captive he imagined the most horrible scenarios. Grindelwald killing Tina on sight, Grindelwald holding Tina captive, Grindelwald torturing her. There were so many way for him to kill his wife (killing curse, drowning her in the pond, smashing her head in, breaking her neck, hitting her heart with dozens of various spells, _so many ways_!), and one image he came up with was more horrifying than the other.

Never has he felt so weak and helpless.

The relief he felt when Tina showed up to rescue him has made him lightheaded. When he found out that Grindelwald _actually tried to kill_ her made Percival more furious and horrified than ever before, but the pure relief he felt when he saw that she and their baby were unharmed, when he finally held her in his arms again, won out over every fury or horror. He was just glad to hold her in his arm, safe and unharmed.

Ever since then Percival dedicated much of his time in the search for Grindelwald who managed to break out of their custody with the help of some of his fanatics not long after his imprisonment. The thought that one day he could come back (for whatever reason whatsoever) and be after him or his family again made him sick to his stomach.

That feeling only amplified when Robert was born. When he first laid eyes on this small creature in Tina’s arms the feeling of worry became a constant companion to him. Not even one second passed where he didn’t just _worry_ that _something_ might happen to his little son.

And now every time he watched Tina hold their son, every time the little boy gurgled in happiness, every time that gentle smile blossomed on his wife’s face when she looked down at his pudgy little face, he felt such a sense of serenity and pure, unadulterated _love_ , that he wondered how he had been able to live the first thirty years of his life without any of this, all alone and only accompanied by his work.

As he watched them he realized that no matter how honorable or well respected his family was or how much he added to it with his work in MACUSA, none of it came even relatively close to what he managed to add to his family name by having a part in Robert’s creation. There was nothing he was more proud of.

And that was how Percival knew that Grindelwald would never even get _close_ to his family ever again, because before that could happen Percival would _annihilate_ him. There was no place that bastard could hide, no person in the world that could protect him. Percival would move heaven and earth to catch him, use every resource and man available, exchange every favor – national or international – that people owed him. He will do everything in his power so that Robert could grow up in a world free of men like Grindelwald, without the fear of war looming over him.

“You’re thinking too much again,” Tina said. Percival blinked, ripped out of his thoughts as he has watched her. Robert has already drunk his fill and was drowsily hanging in his mother’s arms as she stood up from the rocking chair, already half- asleep again. Tina pointed to her face. “You get the brooding eyebrows when you think too much. What is it this time?”

Instead of answering her question immediately he came over to her and enveloped her and their child in his arms, mindful not to pull them too close and smother Robert in the process. The little boy cooed sleepily and burrowed himself deeper into Tina’s arms. Percival kissed his wife’s forehead, resting his own against hers. “I was just thinking about the two of you,” he whispered.

Tina scoffed. “Sure, and next you’re telling me that Seraphina Picquery knits her own socks.” She tilted her head to look him in the eyes. “Tell me what’s bothering you.”

He met her gaze for a moment before pressing his face into her hair and taking a lungful of her scent. “I just came to a conclusion.”

“Which is?”

He kissed the top of her head. “That I will annihilate Grindelwald with every power I have available. I will _crush_ him.”

Tina tensed in his arms, and for a moment Percival feared that he has scared her with his forcefulness, but then she pulled away and he could see the dangerous glint in her eyes and had to smile. She reached up with one hand and cupped his cheek.

“Yes, you will.”


End file.
